The Butcher of Madison County
by ChristyK
Summary: The brothers must go undercover, Sam as a prisoner, Dean as a guard to try and stop a vicious spirit
1. Chapter 1

The Butcher of Madison County

Both brothers were exhausted as they headed out of town. They had just finished destroying a spirit who had been terrorizing a family for the last few weeks. The spirit had been a drug dealer who had been reportedly killed in the house and buried in an old nearby cemetery, a small marker was the only thing that identified his grave. After a few days they finally discovered the man's gravesite. They salted and burned the bones and the spirit was released from the house finally giving the owners some peace. For some reason Sam had taken the brunt of the spirit's vengeance and hadn't gotten a good nights sleep in days. But now the spirit was gone and Sam had finally drifted into a peaceful sleep for the first time in days, even the bumpy road didn't keep him awake. Right now all Dean wanted was to find a nice quiet motel and give his brother time to catch up on his sleep. They were about ten miles outside of town when Dean spotted a motel; he had just pulled into the parking lot when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller's name before answering.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah."

"What's up?"

"You boys still in West Virginia?"

"Yep, we're just heading into a town called Cole. Why?"

"I have a hunt for you if you're interested."

"What?"

"A friend of mine called me; he knows the line of work we're in. He's a prison guard down at Madison. Seems they have a program at the prison for first time offenders….It's sort of a camping trip where they teach you survival skills and teamwork. It's supposed to teach the prisoners responsibility and teach them to see that they can work as a team. …suppose to put them on the right path."

"What's this got to do with us?"

"Well it seems this time they're heading into the Appalachian Mountains and towards a town called Minersville."

"Minersville? Isn't that where that spirit killed all those campers a few years back?"

"Yeah, the officials swept it under the rug and said they were killed by a rogue bear, and that the bear was later found and killed."

"But in truth the spirit hacked and diced those people to pieces."

Dean remembered hearing about the case from his dad. A man, Jacob Monroe, had lived as a hermit in the mountain for years. When several campers and hikers disappeared the FBI was sent in and discovered Monroe's cabin. Inside they found a house of horror. Monroe had apparently tortured his victims then had hung them up in a shed behind his house and butchered them like animals. The officers also found large pots in Monroe's cabin, pots he had used to cook the victims in for food. They had actually caught Monroe as he was dragging his latest victim back from a hunt, but instead of being taken alive Monroe blew his brains out. Years later his spirit returned and butchered more people. One man had escaped and told the police that a ghost had killed his friends, but of course they didn't believe him. Later two of their dad's friends had gone there hoping to finish the spirit off but he somehow managed to escape and killed one of them in the process. Dean knew that all he and Sam could do, if they took the hunt, would be to show up and try to keep the spirit away from the group with a salt gun, and hope that maybe they might find his grave and destroy him once and for all.

"Yeah, a real sadistic bastard."

"How can we help?"

"My friend has some pull with the warden and he said he could get one of you in as a visiting guard, the other can go in as a first offender. He'll assign you both to the trip. Hopefully you'll be able to keep the spirit at bay if it shows up."

Sam, hearing Dean talking, woke up and looked over at his brother.

"What's up?" He asked as he stretched his sore muscles.

"Bobby's got a job for us." Dean said as he put Bobby on speaker phone.

"I'll be the prisoner, Sam can be the guard." Dean quickly spoke up; he wanted to get that much established before Sam got into the conversation. He knew how cruel some guards could be and he wasn't about to sit back and let his little brother get pushed around by them in front of him.

"Sorry Dean that won't work." Bobby said.

"Why not?"

"The guards in West Virginia have a strict dress code, including hair…..Now unless Sam wants to get his hair cut…."

"No way!" Sam spoke up. He wasn't even sure what the job was, but he wasn't about to cut his hair for it.

"Then you're in?" Bobby asked.

"When do we start?"

Bobby had always been there for them and Dean wasn't about to let him down even though he knew he and his brother both could use some rest.

"Day after tomorrow….. Get some rest tonight and I'll get my buddy to get the paperwork ready. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what's happening. You'll go in as a guard from Blackwood Prison coming to check out Madison's First Offender Program. Then we'll set Sam up as a first offender who is being assigned to the program."

"Do we have any idea where Monroe is buried?"

"I've been told the cops buried him right there on his property. He had no money, no family, so they thought they'd save the county a little money. But the thing is, so far none of the hunters who have gone after him have found the grave, or died before they could. Without a grave you won't be able to end this thing but at least you can hopefully keep the others safe with your salt guns."

"We'll do our best to keep everyone alive and bring them home in one piece."

"I know you will…. Well that's about all I can tell you right now."

"Okay Bobby….we'll be waiting for your call."

"You boys be careful out there. This is one mean son of a bitch."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews; I hope you're not disappointed with the rest of the story.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter two

**The following day**

The next day Bobby called with the arrangements. His friend would switch admission records and get Sam admitted as John Sawyer, a man arrested for domestic abuse and for attacking the officer who was handling the call. The real Sawyer would be transferred to another prison. Dean would arrive the next day and pose as an officer sent to observe the First Offender Program. After Bobby hung up Dean looked over at Sam.

"I don't like the idea of you going in there without backup."

"I'll be fine, besides Bobby's friend will be there."

"Maybe so, but he can't interfere without getting in trouble. If they find out he switched admissions records he'll be fired….or worse."

"It's only for a day Dean, you'll be coming in the next day."

Dean still didn't like it. He knew anything could happen and he wouldn't be there to help Sam if he got in trouble, but he also knew it was the only way to get admitted to the program, and like Sam said, it was only for a day.

"Okay, but you don't do anything to stand out, you keep your mouth shut and you do whatever the hell they tell you to do. Is that clear?"

"Yes Mom." Sam said smiling.

"I mean it Sam, this isn't funny."

"Dean you don't have to treat me like a little kid, I know what to do."

**Two hours later **

Bobby's friend arrived and after introductions handed Sam an orange jumpsuit. Sam went into the bathroom and changed then came out smiling.

"I don't think orange is my color, it clashes with my eyes."

"Get used to it." Mick said. "You'll be wearing it the entire trip." He then handed Dean papers establishing the fact that he worked as a guard in Blackwood Prison and was there to observe Madison County's new program, he also gave him a map which showed the route the trip would take. "Get there tomorrow morning around five."

"Will you be going with us?" Dean asked.

"Unfortunately no, you two are on your own."

"So you know Bobby , and you know the kind of work he does?"

"Yeah, Bobby and I go back a long way. He and I hunted together for awhile, but I got busted up pretty good one time and I had to get out of the business. I got a wife and family now and they don't have any idea what I used to do and I want to keep it that way."

"How did you hear about this Monroe character?"

"I may be out of the business but I still keep in touch with some of the hunters I know. They told me about the spirit…I'm hoping nothing will happen out there but I figured someone should go with the group who knows how to deal with this type of thing. They're going to be hiking right by Monroe's cabin which might be just enough reason to stir him up again." Mick looked over at Sam. "You ready?"

"Guess so."

"Turn around."

Sam turned around and Mick handcuffed him behind his back. He saw Dean wince when he watched his brother being handcuffed.

"Do you have to do that right now?"

"Sorry, but we got to make this look real. If I wait till we get near the prison someone might drive by and see me cuffing him and wonder why he wasn't already cuffed."

Dean nodded, he knew that was true, but it didn't help the knot he felt in the pit of his stomach as he watched his brother being led to the guard's car.

"See you tomorrow Sam." He shouted over to his brother trying to give him a little comfort as well as himself. He'd see his brother tomorrow, what could possibly go wrong? Sam nodded back at Dean as Mick helped him into the back seat of the car.

Sam swallowed hard trying to keep his nervousness under control, there was no way he wanted Dean to see how he really felt. The back seat was blocked off from the front with steel bars and between that and having his hands cuffed behind his back he could feel a claustrophobic feeling creeping up on him. He looked over at his brother.

"Tomorrow." He nodded and gave Dean a small smile.

Dean watched as the guard's car took off with his brother. He knew Bobby wouldn't steer them wrong and that his friend was as trustworthy as Bobby was, but he still didn't like seeing his brother being taken away. He knew Sam always teased him about hovering over him like a mother hen, but he had tried to protect his brother his entire life and he knew he probably always would. Now all he could do was sit back and hope the day passed quickly and that nothing went wrong, and that tomorrow he'd be reunited with his brother.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter three

Sam arrived at the prison in less then an hour. Mick then escorted him into admissions to be processed. Through a window leading into the prison Sam could see the other inmates leering at him. He knew he was fresh meat and wasn't looking forward to spending the night in the prison without his brother.

"Name." The admissions officer asked.

"John Sawyer." Sam answered.

"The officer paged through his papers till he found one with Sawyer's name on it.

"Domestic abuse and resisting arrest." He read the charges then looked up at Sam. "I see you have signed up for our First Offender Program."

"Yeah."

"I'm going to read you some rules that you will listen to and obey. Is that clear?"

"Yeah."

"The first rule is that you will address all of the officers here and in the program as sir. Do you understand?"

"Yes….Sir." Sam quickly added the sir when the officer frowned at him.

"You will obey the officers and will do what you are told to do without question. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"You agree voluntarily to go on this excursion and relinquish us from any fault if you are injured or worse from no fault of our officers. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"The program will begin tomorrow at six AM…..When you leave this office you will be searched then put in a holding cell till tomorrow."

"He was already searched in city hall, the kid's clean." Mick spoke up hoping Sam could avoid a strip search and save him a little embarrassment.

"He's our problem now officer, you can get back to work." The officer dismissed Mick then looked at two other officers that were in the room. "Take him to the showers and delice him, then get him dressed and put him in the holding cell with the other cons that are in the program."

Sam's and Mick's eyes met for a brief second and Sam gave him a little smile, silently thanking him for trying to help him avoid the showers.

**Later**

Sam was stripped then forced into the showers with some older cons who whistled when they saw him.

"We got us some hot stuff here Joe." One of the cons said to his buddy.

"Boy's real pretty ain't he? Almost looks like a girl with that long hair."

"You a girl kid?" The first con reached out and touched Sam's hair.

Sam reacted immediately and pushed the man away but was rewarded by a hard punch to his face by the man's friend.

"You ought not to have done that." The first con said as he advanced on Sam but stopped when he saw a guard watching. Instead he made a motion of a knife slicing across his throat then licked his lips as he winked at Sam.

Sam turned his back to the men and did his best to ignore them while he quickly showered then was sprayed with chemicals to kill any lice that might be on him. He quickly put his jumpsuit back on then hurried out of the showers.

"We'll see you later pretty boy." One of the cons yelled after him.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief once he was out of the showers and put in a cell with some of the other first offenders who would be going on the trip. He looked around at his fellow cons. Some looked mean and tough and some looked like scared little kids. He hoped the other cons and the guards wouldn't pick on the timid ones but he knew more then likely they would. He knew they'd have to toughen up if they were going to survive in prison. Most of them he knew would end up becoming one of the hardened con's bitches. He didn't envy them that, but he knew it would be the only way for them to survive in prison. The older con would become their protector and look after them, but the price they paid was high. He didn't want to associate himself with either group so he found a cot over in the corner and sat down on it. He knew it was going to be a long night.

**Motel Room**

Dean lay sprawled out on the bed watching a basketball game on TV but his attention was far from the game. He jumped slightly when the nearby phone rang.

"Yeah."

"Dean this is Mick…..I just wanted you to know your brother is in."

"Everything go okay?"

"As far as I know yeah, we got him admitted and he's signed up for the program."

"No trouble?"

"Not while I was there."

"Thanks for calling Mick. I'll be there tomorrow at five."

"Good luck. Hope you can find that thing and end it."

"We'll try our best."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter four

**4:45 AM the next morning**

Dean showed up at the prison door and after showing his ID was let in and escorted to the warden's office. He was then told that he would be allowed on the trip but only as an observer. No matter what he saw on the trip he was to keep his mouth shut and not interfere. He was to let the guards discipline the prisoners anyway they saw fit. After he agreed to the rules he was taken to the room where the prisoners and the guards were waiting for the van to take them to the mountains. The prisoners were lined up against the wall standing at attention while the guards sat around drinking coffee and eating breakfast. Dean's relief at seeing his brother immediately turned to anger when he saw the purple bruise on Sam's cheek. He had only been there for a day and already gotten into trouble. Dean knew he had to swallow his anger and try to fit in with the guards; he walked over and introduced himself as Wade Walker. The guards shook his hand and offered him a seat.

"So I guess the warden told you the rules?" Kevin, the guard in charge asked.

"Yeah, he went over them."

"The main thing to remember is that these men are our prisoners, they're not one of us. They are here to learn a lesson about respect and team work; they're not to be coddled. What you see on the trip stays on the trip, is that clear?"

"Hey I'm only here to check out the program and see if it might work at Blackwood. What you boys do out there is your business, not mine."

"As long as you remember that we'll get along just fine." Kevin then introduced the other guards to Dean… Mason, Joe, Steve, and Rob.

**6:00 AM**

Once the van arrived the prisoners were marched out of the prison for the two hour drive to the start of the trail they would be following. Each prisoner was first fitted with leg irons which according to the guards would be removed once the prisoner showed that he could be trusted to obey the rules and not cause trouble. The guards rode in the front of the van on comfortable seats, while the prisoner's leg irons were chained to the floor of the van and the prisoners themselves were forced to ride on hard metal seats facing each other and in silence.

**8:15 AM**

They arrived at their destination and the six prisoners were taken off the van then forced to carry all of the equipment they would need on the trip, tents, supplies, and water while the guards walked empty handed. The prisoners were instructed not to talk to any of the other prisoners and to only talk to a guard if the guard spoke to them first. They were to address the guards as sir and the prisoners would be addressed as to whatever number they had written on the back of their jumpsuit, no names were to be exchanged. Almost immediately Sam saw that one of the smaller prisoners was having trouble carrying his share of the supplies which were two large containers of water. Sam walked over to Mason, one of the guards.

"Sir, Prisoner Four can't carry that much weight, its way too heavy for him."

"Did I speak to you first?" Mason asked.

"No sir but…"

"We haven't even walked but a few steps and you're already breaking the rules."

"I'm sorry but…."

Dean walked over to the guard.

"What's the problem?"

"Prisoner Five is talking out of line. What do you think we should do about it?

Dean glanced at Sammy but quickly looked away.

"What did he want?"

"He informed me that Prisoner Four was having trouble carrying his load."

Dean looked over at the prisoner who was obviously having trouble carrying the heavy containers.

"Well he's right; it does look too heavy for him."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"All the prisoners are pretty well loaded down, why don't we give them a hand."

"Well I have a better idea." Mason walked over to Prisoner Four and took the containers out of his hands. He then walked over to Sam and put the bottles in front of him. "If you're so concerned about him then you can carry his load as well as your own."

Dean was about to object, the load Sam was already carrying was heavy and it would be almost impossible for him to carry any additional weight, but Sam caught his eye and with a little shake of his head warned Dean off. Without another word Sam added the bottles to his load and joined the other prisoners. Dean didn't like it but he knew he had to keep his mouth shut if he didn't want to turn the guards against him. He looked over at Mason and smiled his approval.

"Well that's one way to handle it."

"It's the only way."

Dean watched as Mason walked back to his fellow guards, he had a bad feeling this was going to be a long trip.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter five

As they walked through the deep woods Dean slowly fell back till he was walking next to his brother.

"How's it going?" He asked softly not wanting anyone to hear him as he kept his eyes looking straight ahead.

"Okay."

"What happened to your face?" Dean asked referring to the dark bruise under Sam's eye.

"Just a little misunderstanding, it's nothing."

"So much for your ' it's only for a day ' speech."

"Dean it was nothing….Some guy tried to get a little grabby in the shower that's all."

"Well try to stay out of trouble and keep your mouth shut."

"Yeah." Sam said as he tried to rearrange the load he was carrying; it was already beginning to get heavy.

Dean felt bad that he couldn't help Sam and take some of the supplies he was carrying, but he knew that would only get them both in trouble.

**Later**

They arrived at their first campsite and began setting up the camp for the night. The prisoners were made to do most of the work while the guards sat around talking. Once the camp was set up Mason walked over to Sam.

"Dump those bottles and get us some fresh water. There's a spring down by the river."

Dean heard Mason and his eyes flashed with anger. Mason had made his brother carry his own load of supplies plus the water which it turned out they didn't even need. He quickly walked over.

"I'll follow him, just to make sure he doesn't try to escape."

"One of the other guards can do that, you're only along to observe."

"I don't mind, it gives me something to do."

"Okay, but if he tries anything give us a yell. That son of a bitch is a wife beater, plus he attacked an officer, he might try to again."

"I'll be careful." Dean patted his gun that was hanging on his side.

Dean followed Sam down to the river and over to the spring. He then pulled out the small map that Mick had given him.

"According to this, tomorrow's campsite will be the closest we're going to get to Monroe's cabin. If his spirit is going to attack it'll probably happen there."

"Not necessarily, spirits have free range, they can attack anywhere." Sam said as he emptied the containers and refilled them with fresh water.

"Most spirits stay close to familiar territory, you know that."

"Most do ….but not all of them."

Dean reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small salt gun which was enclosed in a plastic container with a strap around it.

"I was going to give this to you tomorrow but since we're alone ….Strap it onto your leg and make sure it stays covered. If they catch you with it there's going to be hell to be paid."

Sam took the container and strapped it above his ankle then quickly covered it with his pant's leg. He knew Dean was right, if he was caught with a gun he'd be in a lot of trouble.

"Tomorrow we need to break away and somehow get to that cabin. They're not going to be able to follow us dragging prisoners with them."

Dean was hoping it would be as simple as that. He didn't like hanging around anything to do with law enforcement and he really didn't like Sam impersonating a prisoner. What if things went wrong? What if somehow Sam was taken back to the prison before they could make their getaway? They tried to avoid the law at all cost and this was playing it a little too close for comfort.

They stopped talking when they heard someone walking toward them, it was Kevin. Dean quickly took a few steps back and stood with his hand resting on his gun as if he was guarding Sam.

"Everything okay?" Kevin asked as he stepped out of the bushes.

"Everything's fine." Dean said as he watched Sam cork the bottles then pick them up and head back toward the campsite.

"Damn long haired hippie." Kevin muttered as he and Dean walked behind Sam. "I'd like to tie that boy down and give him a proper haircut." Kevin looked over at Dean and grinned. "Maybe before we head back to the prison we'll just have to do that."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter six

Dean was more determined then ever to find Monroe's body and burn it as soon as they got to the next campsite. Not only was Monroe a threat, but now he had to try and keep Kevin away from his brother. The sooner they destroyed the bones, the sooner they could get the hell out of there.

**The next morning**

After breakfast Kevin stood in front of the group.

"Today we're going to teach you to act as a team. I want everyone to go down to the river." When the group didn't respond fast enough he fired his gun into the air to get their attention. "When I give an order I want it obeyed immediately. Is that clear to everyone?"

"Yes sir!" The prisoners shouted as they made their way to the river.

**The river**

"What we're going to do is pair you up then have you swim as a team out to that barge in the middle of the river. One of you will be wearing leg irons, the other won't. The person with the leg irons will go under the barge first, then your partner will swim under the barge and pull you out the other side. Then together as a team you will swim back to shore. This is to install in you trust, and teamwork."

"I…I can't swim…" Prisoner Four spoke up.

"You will do as you are told." Mason walked over.

"I can't….I can't go out there!"

The prisoner started to back away from the water clearly terrified. Mason took off his nightstick and jabbed it into the man's stomach. The prisoner grunted in pain and fell to his knees causing Sam to immediately react. He grabbed the guard by his jacket and spun him away from the man. Sam then knelt next to the smaller prisoner.

Kevin stormed over and grabbed Sam by his hair and pulled his head back, he then sprayed tear gas directly into his eyes. As Sam covered his eyes Mason delivered a vicious kick to his stomach.

"Now wait a minute!" Dean shouted as he made his way over to the scene.

"You stay out of this! It has nothing to do with you!" Kevin grabbed Dean by the shoulder.

"He was only trying to protect Prisoner Four!" Dean shook off Kevin's hand.

"He touched an officer! That is not allowed!"

"But hitting a prisoner for no reason is? That man is clearly terrified of water."

"That's his problem, not ours."

Dean clenched and unclenched his fists, he wanted nothing more then to beat the crap out of the man who had hurt his brother, but he knew he had to play it cool. If Sam had been hurt he wouldn't be able to control his anger, but Sam was already getting to his feet as he wiped the tear gas from his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"Sorry." Dean apologized for his outburst; he knew he couldn't afford to alienate himself from the guards. They could send him packing anytime they wanted to and then Sam would be out here alone with them.

"Don't let it happen again." Kevin told Dean as he walked over and stood in front of Sam. "Well it looks like you picked your partner for this part of the test. You'll be wearing the leg irons and Prisoner Four will pull you under the barge and to the other side."

Sam knew to keep his mouth shut. He looked over at Prisoner Four with eyes still tearing up from the tear gas and gave him a reassuring smile trying to build confidence in the frightened man.

**Later**

Kevin deliberately made Sam and his partner go last to prolong the agony of waiting. When it was there turn they walked up to the river and Kevin removed Prisoner Four's leg irons but not Sam's. They then slowly walked into the water. Prisoner Four was clearly terrified and kept a death grip on Sam's arm. Dean watched from the shore, ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

"It'll be okay, just hold your breath and once you're under the barge I'll do the rest….Just try to relax and I'll make sure you get through this."

The man looked up at Sam his eyes wide with fear.

"I can't do this….I can't swim at all…"

"You won't have to. Just hold your breath and once you're under the water I'll pull you through, then when we come up on the other side we'll make it look like you pulled me through. Okay?"

"You're sure you won't let go of me?"

"I promise I'll get you through to the other side." Sam promised.

Once they were at the barge Sam went down in the water and under the barge. Prisoner Four could hear the guards shouting from the shoreline and knew he had no choice. If he refused to do it he knew he'd pay for it. He took a deep breath and held his nose as he sank below the water.

As soon as Sam saw him he grabbed him and pulled him as quickly as he could toward the other side of the barge. His leg irons were heavy and held him down but he didn't let go of the man. They were almost there when his partner began to panic. He clawed at Sam's face and grabbed him by the neck. Sam tried to pull the man off of him but his leg irons had now become tangled in debris under the barge. Sam used the last of his strength to push the man toward the surface. He then tried to untangle himself but it was useless…he had been without air for too long and his lungs now burned with the need for it. He could feel himself start to black out and involuntarily gulped in the black water.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

I appreciate the reviews, thanks. I'm going on vacation and will post the next chapter on Thursday when I get back.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter seven

Dean watched anxiously from the shoreline. Where the hell were they he wondered? At the far side of the barge a figure finally emerged coughing and spitting up water, the man weakly pulled himself up onto the barge and collapsed. Dean could see it was Sam's partner, but where was Sam? Dean took a few steps toward the water as he waited for Sam to surface. Once the man caught his breath he pointed toward the water and spoke.

"He's still under there! He's trapped!"

Dean didn't have to hear more; he took off his gun belt and tossed it to the side as he dove into the water. Once he reached the barge he dove under the water and began frantically searching for his brother. The water was murky and it was hard to see so he felt around with his hands trying to locate Sam's body. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest when he couldn't find him. He surfaced once to catch his breath then dove back down. Finally he felt his brother's arm. He tried to pull him to the surface but quickly realized his legs were caught on something beneath the barge. He felt his way down to Sam's ankles and could tell that his leg irons were wrapped around something on the bottom. He pulled as hard as he could and finally managed to free his brother. He pulled him to the surface then up onto the barge.

"Sam! Sammy!" He shook his brother's shoulders, but there was no response. He swallowed hard when he noticed that Sam's lips were already turning blue. He quickly tilted his brother's head back, pinched his nose shut, and breathed a deep breath of air into his mouth. He gave a few more breaths then began pressing on Sam's chest. "Damn it Sammy breathe!"

"How is he?" Kevin shouted over to him but Dean ignored him as he continued working on his brother. Finally Sam coughed up water and began to moan.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God." He said softly as he rolled his brother onto his side and patted him on his back.

"Oh man….." Sam moaned a few minutes later as he rolled onto his back and looked up at his brother.

"Welcome back." Dean smiled down at Sam.

"How's my partner?" Sam asked as he looked around for Prisoner Four.

"He's fine Sam, you got him through." Dean nodded toward Prisoner Four who sat at the far end of the raft shivering.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, the last thing he remembered before he passed out, was trying to push the man to the surface and he wasn't sure if he had made it or not.

Dean waited a few minutes till everyone had caught their breath then helped them back to the shoreline. Kevin walked over to them.

"I heard you call him Sam, how did you know his name?"

"He told me when we went to get the water."

"He spoke to you? That's against the rules."

"I spoke to him first….and you know what, you can stick your rules right up your ass. You almost got both of these men killed."

"When they signed on for this program they both signed a waiver saying we weren't responsible for any injuries or anything else that might happen to them on this trip…..Things happen."

It was then they heard the terrified screams of a man. They looked around and noticed that Prisoner Six was missing. While everyone had been watching the scene unfold on the barge, he had disappeared.

"Son of a bitch!" Kevin shouted when he realized one of the prisoners was missing…..But why was he screaming?

Dean looked at Sam, both of them thinking the same thing, that the spirit had grabbed the man. If it had then it meant the spirit was taking people outside of its comfort zone. Usually a spirit was attached to its own residence but not always

Kevin ordered two of the guards, Rob and Steve, to stay with the prisoners while he and the rest of the guards including Dean went off to look for the missing men.

**Later**

After searching for two hours but finding no signs of the man they headed back to camp.

"He's gone." Kevin told the other guards.

"Why was he screaming?" Rob asked.

"Who knows….maybe he ran into a bear." Steve suggested.

"We didn't see any blood, or any signs of a bear attack." Kevin said as he walked over and sat down on a rock.

"How the hell are we going to explain losing a prisoner to the warden?" Mason looked out into the deep woods.

Kevin could only shake his head, he had no idea.

Dean glanced over at Sam and gave a little nod….it had started.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews, glad you still like the story.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter eight

When Prisoner Six finally woke up he was groggy and at first couldn't remember what had happened, but then it all came back to him. He had been watching one of the guards swim out to the barge in an attempt to save the man who was drowning. Everyone's eyes were glued to the drama playing out in front of them and no one was paying attention to anything else. He had been in the back of the group when he felt someone suddenly grab him. A cold hand had been placed over his mouth and he had looked up into the face of a madman. The man was transparent and he could clearly see through him, but the thing still had features that he could make out and had almost superhuman strength. His eyes were wild and sat in the most terrifying face the man had ever seen. The creature had long greasy hair and missing teeth, plus smelled of rotted flesh. The spirit was also wearing a bloody butcher's apron which was stained with dry blood. It had no trouble at all dragging him silently through the woods. At one point the thing had let go of him and that was when he had time to run screaming through the woods trying to escape. The spirit watched for awhile as if it was enjoying watching him, as if it was getting a kick out seeing how scared he was. But then it suddenly swooped down on him again and once more began dragging him off deep into the woods. Finally, mercifully, he had passed out.

The first thing he tried to do was try to figure out where he was and then try to get as far away from there as possible. He tried to get up only to realize that he was tied spread eagle to a table and was naked. He looked around the dark, damp room and could see all kinds of knives and meat cleavers hanging from the ceiling. He tried to scream for help but nothing came out. He could taste blood bubbling up from his throat and it was then he realized his throat had been cut and he couldn't speak. He began to cry with fear as he looked down at his body and could clearly see where slight knife cuts had made a pattern of red streaks over his entire body as if marking his body for dissection. As he struggled to free himself he could see bottles filled with body parts littering the entire room. He squeezed his eyes shut hoping he was just having a horrible nightmare and that when he opened them all of this would be gone….but when he opened them he was looking into the face of the thing that had captured him. The thing smiled as it picked up a knife and slowly began carving up the man's body. The prisoner's body arched in pain as the knife began cutting deeper and deeper. Finally the spirit picked up a meat cleaver and neatly cut the man's leg off with one swipe of the blade. The man could feel his life's blood draining from his body and taking with it his strength and his consciousness. He never felt the blade that decapitated his head from the rest of his body.

**The campsite**

The next morning they began the long walk to their next campsite. There were no cell phone signals in the mountains and Kevin had no way to contact the prison and alert them to the prisoner's disappearance, so he decided to go on with the trip rather then head back to their drop off point. The man who had escaped was wanted for burglarizing his neighbor's house and wasn't considered a dangerous criminal. More then likely if he made it out of the woods he would head home and it would just be a case of picking him up again.

Dean slowly moved up till he was walking next to Sam.

"This might be it." He knew the next campsite would take them close to Monroe's cabin.

"How do you want to do this?"

"They won't be watching me, only the prisoners, so I'm thinking that once everyone's asleep I'll sneak out of camp and find the cabin, then…"

"No way, we're doing this together." Sam interrupted him.

"If we both disappear they're going to know something's up. I can handle this."

"This guy ate people Dean; I'm not letting you face him alone."

"We might not have a choice in this. They already lost one prisoner so I'm sure they'll be latching your leg irons together tonight so no one else tries to escape."

"Then maybe we better tell them what's going on."

"They're not going to believe us, you know that."

"I don't think we have a choice in this Dean."

"You want me to tell them that there is a madman's spirit out there who likes to eat people?"

"It does sound a little far fetched doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does. Maybe the guy just took off; maybe the spirit didn't grab him."

"Then why did he scream?"

"Maybe it wasn't even him; maybe there are campers out here just goofing around."

"That's true….it could have been anybody."

"So all we can do right now is keep our eyes open and…."

"See if we can find Monroe's cabin." Sam finished his statement.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter nine

**Later**

They finally walked into the campsite. It had taken the entire day and it was already dark with only the full moon lighting their way. Kevin didn't trust the prisoners especially since one had already escaped so he ordered each of them tied individually to trees with their leg irons and left Rob and Steve to guard them while he and the rest of the guards including Dean went in search of firewood. Clouds filled the sky and eventually obscured the moon light and soon it was pitch black. The only ones who could see more then a few feet in front of them were the guards who had flashlights; the prisoners were left totally in the dark. All of a sudden the prisoners heard the two guards who had been left to guard them screaming in both terror and pain. Sam did the only he could do, he pulled out the salt gun that had been wrapped in plastic around his leg and fired it in the direction of the screams hoping he'd hit the spirit if that was what was attacking the men, but in the darkness he couldn't make out anything. The screams slowly died down as the men were dragged out into the dark woods. Hearing the screams Dean and the rest of the guards pulled out their guns and ran back to the camp. The first thing Kevin did was shine the light on the prisoners. It was then he noticed Sam had a gun and immediately pointed his gun at him.

"Drop it!"

"It's still out there!" Sam kept his gun pointed in the direction the men had been dragged hoping to spot the spirit and get off another shot.

"I said drop it! Now!"

"It's got them! It's got your two guards!" Sam tried to explain as he held onto the gun.

"Drop it or I'll shoot!"

When Sam didn't relinquish the gun Kevin took aim and was just about to shoot, he never saw Dean who came up behind him and knocked the gun from his hand.

"What the hell are you doing? That prisoner has a gun!"

"He's with me." Dean said as he picked up Kevin's gun and slid it into his waistband while he kept his own gun out.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Kevin looked at Dean is disbelief.

"We're together."

Kevin looked at them suspiciously while Mason now trained his gun on Dean instead of Sam.

"What the hell's going on?"

"Did you ever hear of Jacob Monroe?" Dean asked.

Kevin thought for awhile then answered.

"Yeah, why?"

The Monroe legend was common knowledge at the prison but no one believed it. It was after all, just a legend.

"We think he's involved in the disappearances."

"How can that be, he's dead?"

"Yeah we know." Sam spoke up.

Kevin backed up and stood next to Mason and Joe.

"Who are you guys?"

"That really doesn't matter. What matters is we know hot to get rid of him."

Mason's gun was still trained on Dean and Dean moved further away from his brother, just in case Mason got trigger happy. He knew he had a chance of dodging a bullet but Sam was tied to the tree and was helpless.

"And how's that?"

"Find his grave and salt and burn his bones."

Sam looked at the guards and added.

"And we have to find him as soon as possible; maybe we can get there in time to save your buddies if we do."

"You expect us to believe a story like that?"

"You can either believe it or sit around here and wait to be that thing's next meal."

Kevin still wasn't convinced but then he heard more blood curdling screams coming from the woods.

"What the hell's happening to them?" He asked as he looked in the direction of the screams.

"Believe me, you don't want to know." Dean answered. "Now are you going to work with us or not?"

"Guess we don't have a choice." Kevin had no idea what had happened to his two guards but he still didn't fully believe these two men's story, it sounded way too far fetched for him. "Let's see what you can do." Kevin said as he put his hand on Mason's gun and lowered it then nodded to Joe to do the same. He knew he had no choice but to try to defuse the situation or someone was going to get killed.

"First off I need to uncuff my brother." Dean didn't know if he could trust them or not but he really didn't have a choice, standing here wasn't going to get them anywhere. Maybe, just maybe, they could save the two guard's lives. He lowered his gun and put his hand out for the key.

"Mason has the key." Kevin said as he started to walk away.

Dean turned toward Mason and held out his hand, he never saw Kevin reach inside his jacket and pull out a can of tear gas. Before Dean could react Kevin suddenly spun around and sprayed him in the eyes with the powerful chemical. While Dean was incapacitated Kevin quickly removed both his and Dean's guns from Dean.

"You stupid idiot we're trying to help you!" Sam shouted.

"You really expect us to fall for a story like that? I don't know what's going on here but I have a feeling you two have friends out there in the woods and they're trying to bust you out of here."

"Everything we told you is true." Dean said as he tried to wipe the tear gas out of his eyes.

"Well you can both tell it to the warden once I get you back to prison."

"You jerk; we'll never make it back to the prison! You just signed your buddies' death warrant, and probably ours too!"

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter ten

"Tie him up!" Kevin ordered Mason as he kept his gun trained on Dean. He then walked over to Sam and took his gun. Sam didn't have a choice but to give it up, he couldn't take the chance that Dean would be hurt if he didn't.

Dean could barely see as tears ran down from his eyes from the tear gas. At first he thought of fighting Kevin, he knew he could take him down, but he knew he could never take all three guards down before one of them could get off a shot, a shot that might hit his brother.

Dean was taken over to a tree and tied to it. He cursed himself for having let his guard down, even just for a second.

"At least wash his eyes out." Sam pleaded as he looked at his brother's tear streaked face. He himself had been sprayed with the tear gas and knew how bad it had stung his eyes.

Kevin walked over to Dean.

"I don't know what's going on here, or what you and your brother are trying to pull but it's not going to work." Kevin told Dean as he poured water over his burning eyes, he figured there was no reason to make the man suffer.

"What we told you is true. If we don't get out there and find Monroe's cabin your guards are dead."

"You expect me to believe there is a ghost out here killing people?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but…"

"But it is crazy. There's no such thing as ghosts and especially a ghost that goes around killing people."

**Monroe's cabin**

Rob woke up to find himself chained to the wall. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he looked around the dark room. In front of him he could see Steve tied naked to a large table, but nobody else appeared to be in the room.

"Steve." Rob said softly trying to get his partner's attention.

Steve strained his neck to look over at him, he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. It was then Rob saw the slit in his throat and realized he couldn't speak.

"What the hell's going on?" Rob screamed as he pulled at his chains trying to break free. It was then a dark shadow of a man walked into the room and over to the table Steve was tied to. He picked up a large knife and stood over Steve for a few seconds, then starting right below Steve's throat he began slowly slicing downward. Steve's body arched on the table, he couldn't scream but he could feel the knife cutting through his flesh. Rob watched as the man finished cutting then without a word reached inside Steve's body and began removing his organs. Steve's body gave one final arch then lay still. Rob screamed in fear knowing he was going to be next. The thing in front of him quickly spun around and slit Rob's throat just enough to nick his voice box and silence him. Now all Rob could do was watch the scene in front of him and wait for his turn.

**The campsite**

"That was one of your buddies dying." Dean told the remaining guards when they heard Rob's scream. "You need to release my brother and me so we can get rid of that thing before he kills anyone else."

Joe looked at Kevin and Dean could see the fear in his eyes.

"Maybe he's right Kevin, maybe we should let them go."

"The one man's my prisoner and him…." Kevin nodded toward Dean. "Who knows who the hell he is."

"That thing is going to come back, and he's going to pick us off one by one." Sam told the men. "You need to trust us…We can end this, but we need to do it now."

"If what you're telling us is true, how are you planning on ending it?"

"With salt guns." Dean explained. "Spirits are vaporized by salt, it won't kill them but it will slow them down. What we really need to do is find his grave and salt and burn his bones, just like we told you."

"This is getting crazier and crazier." Kevin shook his head and started to walk away.

"Look at my gun." Sam said. "The cartridges are loaded with salt, not gunpowder…Why would I have a gun loaded with salt?"

Kevin took a cartridge out of Sam's gun and pried it open. Sam was telling the truth, the cartridge was filled with salt. He walked over and showed it to the two other guards.

"I'm starting to believe them Kevin….Why would they have salt in their guns?" Joe spoke up.

"I don't know, but it's too dark to go wandering in the woods right now. Tomorrow we'll see if we can find the cabin, but till then these two stay tied."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter eleven

**Four hours later**

Dean waited till the guards and prisoners were asleep then he made his move. He flicked his wrist and the cuff hidden on his lower arm released his knife into his hand, he then easily sliced through the thick rope with its sharp blade. He allowed himself a small smile, the guards had taken his gun and had thought that was the only weapon he had and hadn't searched him, their mistake. Dean then quietly made his way over to Kevin and took back their guns; he then went over to Sam. He then took out the lock pick he had hidden in his wallet and unlocked his brother's leg irons. He knew he and his brother had to find Monroe's cabin as soon as possible or more people were going to die. He was just about to remove Sam's chain from the lock when he heard one of the prisoners stir. Dean froze in place hoping the man would just roll over and go back to sleep, but instead the prisoner sat up and stretched, then instead of lying back down the prisoner looked out into the woods.

"What the hell is that?" Prisoner Two screamed when he saw a dark form slowly walk into the camp.

"Get us out of here!" Another prisoner shouted as he pulled on his leg irons, he had heard the conversation between the guards and the Winchesters and he was terrified that this was the man they had been talking about. The prisoners were like sitting ducks and had no way to protect themselves, but they were lucky, they were chained to the trees by their leg irons and the spirit had no way to carry them off. Monroe then turned his attention to Dean who reached for his salt gun which he had put on the ground next to Sam while he unlocked his leg iron. Dean managed to grab his gun and spun around to face the spirit and was just about ready to get off a shot when bullets from the guard's guns came whizzing by him.

"Stop! You're going to hit my brother!" Sam shouted as he struggled to free himself from the twisted chain. He was terrified the guards, through their panic, would hit Dean by accident. Sam's fears came true when one of the guard's bullets nicked Dean's hand sending his gun flying. Dean tried to jump for his gun but it was too late, the spirit reached out and grabbed him then put him in a headlock and began dragging him off into the woods.

"Noooooo!" Sam shouted as he struggled to reach his gun, but his legs were still tangled in the chain and he couldn't reach it. Finally he managed to untangle himself and he stretched out and easily grabbed the gun.

"Let him go you son of a bitch!" Sam shouted as he fired at Monroe.

As soon as the salt hit the spirit it vanished. Sam quickly ran to his brother's side.

"You okay?" He asked as he knelt down next to Dean.

Dean could only nod as he tried to catch his breath; the headlock had caused him to almost pass out from lack of oxygen and now his lungs screamed for air.

Sam looked over at the three guards who stood beside each other with a look of shock and disbelief on their faces.

"Do you believe us know?" He asked.

"What the hell was that thing?" Mason asked.

"That was Jacob Monroe….or I should say Monroe's spirit."

"I never thought….I never thought something like that could actually happen." Kevin said as he stared at the spot the spirit had just occupied.

"Well now you know…it can."

"How is that even possible?"

"Energy, which is what your spirit is, never dies, but usually it moves on. But then there's some that stick around, that's what Monroe is, a spirit which refuses to move on, more then likely because he knows where he's going , and also because he liked what he was doing here on earth and sees no reason to leave."

"We got to get out of here." Mason told Kevin.

"I'm with him." Joe said, right now all he wanted was to be as far away from there as they could get.

"What about Steve and Rob?"

"To hell with them! I say we get out of here before that thing comes back!" Mason was already rolling up his sleeping bag.

Dean finally caught his breath and Sam helped him up.

"I think you should stay with us. Your friends are probably dead already." Dean tried to warn them.

"I'm not staying with you! We don't even know who the hell you are! I'm getting out of here!" Mason looked over at Kevin and Joe. "And if I were you I'd get the hell out of here too."

Kevin agreed, they needed to get as far away from there as possible.

"Hold on Mason we'll go with you, but we need to unlock the prisoners and take them with us." Dean told the guards.

"I'm not going to hang around while…." Mason's expression turned from fear to sheer terror as he looked at something behind Dean and Sam.

The brothers spun around but it was too late. With one sweep of his hand Monroe sent Dean flying into a tree where he hit hard and lay crumbled beneath it. Sam raised his gun but it flew from his hand and he too was thrown against a tree. The guards began firing at the spirit as their prisoners desperately tried to free themselves from their leg irons, but the bullets did nothing. Monroe reached down and grabbed the semi conscious Sam by his legs and began dragging him back to his cabin. Dean's head was spinning and blood ran down the side of it as he watched the spirit drag his brother off. He tried to stand but couldn't…..The last thing he saw before passing out was the spirit disappear with his brother into the thick woods.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks for the reviews.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter twelve

**Later**

Dean woke up to a pounding headache. He opened his eyes and at first everything was blurry but then slowly began to clear. He could see the guards packing everything up and unchaining the prisoners. He would tell they were in a hurry to leave. He moaned softly as he sat up.

"We're getting the hell out of here before that thing comes back." Kevin told Dean when he saw him sit up. "And if you're smart you'll come with us."

"I'm not leaving without my brother." Dean slowly pulled himself to his feet.

"He's probably already dead."

Dean swallowed hard at the thought that Kevin might be right, Sam could already be dead.

"Maybe, but I'm not leaving till I find out."

"Well we're not going to stick around while you do. You're welcome to come with us, but we're out of here." Kevin said as he put his backpack on.

Dean looked around on the ground till he found both his and Sam's salt guns. He picked them up then walked over to Kevin.

"You'll need this." He held out one of the guns.

Kevin looked at him confused. Why was Dean handing him Sam's gun?

"It's a salt gun." Dean explained. "If that thing comes after you blast it full on with the salt…..try to hit its chest. It won't destroy it but it'll slow it down for awhile."

"That's your brother's gun….if he's still alive won't he need it?"

"My brother **is** alive…." Dean wasn't going to think otherwise. "….and I'll take care of him. You'll need it to get home if I fail."

Kevin reached out and took the gun.

"I hope you find your brother and that he's still alive." Kevin told him sincerely.

"I will." Dean prayed that was true, and that Sam would still be alive. "When you get to the river cross to the other side, spirits usually don't cross water. You should be safe there and once you're out of the territory he probably won't follow you."

**Later**

Following the map Bobby's friend had given him Dean followed the barely visible trail to Monroe's cabin. The trail was overgrown with weeds but Dean could see clearly where a body had been drugged through them….Sam's body. Finally he came to the rundown cabin. According to Bobby's friend, Monroe's grave was next to a big tree in front of his cabin but hadn't been marked with a grave stone. Other hunters had searched for the grave but either had been killed by the spirit before they found it, or had been driven off by it. Dean wanted to start looking for the grave immediately; destroying the spirit would be the only sure way of saving his brother. But he also knew that Sam might be in the cabin being butchered by Monroe while he searched. He couldn't waste time looking for the grave, he had to get Sam out of there. Dean crept up to the cabin his salt gun gripped firmly in his hand. Most of the windows had been broken out long ago and only the jagged edges of them remained, Dean peeked into the darkened room lit only be a single candle. At first he couldn't see anything but then he saw his brother's naked body strapped to a table. His blood turned to ice as he stared at Sam's chest hoping to see it rise and fall, proof that Sam was still alive. Finally he saw his brother gasp in a breath of air.

"Thank God." Dean said softly.

Now where was Monroe?

A second later Dean saw a black form move in the corner of the room….Monroe. Dean aimed his salt gun at him but there was too much debris in front of him to get off a good shot. He crept over to another window and tried to get a clearer view of the spirit. It was then he heard Sam's voice.

"Get away from me you son of a bitch!" Sam shouted at Monroe as he struggled to free himself.

Monroe said nothing as he stepped closer to Sam.

"Damn it!" Dean swore softly to himself, he still couldn't get a clear shot. He knew he had to blast Monroe right in his chest or back to get the full effect of the salt. Hitting him in his arm or leg would be of little help. Before Dean had a chance to find a better vantage point Monroe brought his blade down and swept it across Sam's throat. Dean could hear a gurgling sound coming from his brother's mouth.

"You bastard!" Dean had no choice but to knock out the rest of the window and try to get off a clean shot before Monroe did more damage to his brother.

Monroe heard the noise of the breaking glass and turned around, he then began walking toward Dean. Dean fire immediately and the spirit vanished.

Dean crawled through the window and went to Sam's side.

"Sam….Sammy…." Dean's face was etched with worry as he checked out the wound to his brother's throat. It was deep but survivable. "I'm getting you out of here." Dean said as he began to untie Sam's ropes.

He had one wrist just about untied when he saw the look on Sam's face. Blood trickled from the corner of Sam's mouth as he tried to speak, but nothing came out. But Dean didn't need to hear his brother's words; he knew Sam was trying to warn him of something. He spun around gun in hand but not fast enough, with one swipe of Monroe's hand he flew across the cabin. Monroe was on him in less then a second and slammed his head against the wall. His last thought before he passed out was that he had failed his brother.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter thirteen

Sam began coughing up the blood that ran down the inside of his throat. He knew the man had cut his vocal cords because he couldn't make a sound. Even if he could cry out what good would it do him, no on except maybe a few campers would hear him, and even then he doubted anyone would. Monroe's isolated cabin sat way back off the beaten trail and few if any people would have any reason to be near it. He looked over at his brother who had been tied to the wall waiting for his turn, his shirt removed, his knife cuff gone. Wouldn't their dad be proud of them he thought? Both of them tied up waiting to be slaughtered like amateurs. Dean was hanging by his wrists with his head hanging forward, blood dripped down his face from a nasty cut on the side of his head that made a small trail down across his chest. Sam looked closer and could see the rise and fall of Dean's chest. He didn't know whether to be grateful or not that his brother was still alive. Why be alive if all it meant was that you would be awake to feel the pain of your death? Sam could see no way out of it, he himself could barely move and Dean was strung up like a piece of ham waiting to be next.

Sam looked around the room and could feel bile rising in his throat as he looked at Monroe's trophies. Jars of body parts littered the room, male or female, it didn't seem to matter. Then a piece of old newspaper caught his eye, it appeared to have a picture of Monroe's cabin on it. Sam pulled himself up off the table as best he could and strained his neck trying to make out the words on the paper. He could barely make out most of the words but the words that caught his eye were, burial, yard, no funeral, and grave. He wondered if maybe, just maybe, the paper held the secret to Monroe's burial site. But what good would it do them? They weren't going anywhere. It was then he heard Dean moan as he woke up.

"Sammy…." Dean slowly opened his eyes. At first he couldn't remember what had happened but then the sight of his brother tied up in front of him immediately brought his memory back. "Sam…." Dean looked around the room. "Where is he?"

Sam could only shake his head; he had no idea where Monroe was. Once he had tied Dean up he had vanished. Sam nodded his head toward the newspaper that was lying on a table near his brother. Dean looked down at it. Besides collecting gruesome souvenirs from his kills, apparently Monroe also somehow had kept newspaper articles about himself which were scattered around the room. How he had done that Dean had no idea, and it didn't really matter. Maybe another hunter had brought them there in an attempt to find the grave site and maybe Monroe had somehow found them, more then likely after killing the hunter and dismembering his body. Dean knew a lot of serial killers kept clippings of their killings from the newspaper and Monroe apparently was no different, even though he was dead he still got off on reading about himself. Dean squinted his eyes as he read the fine print.

_After digging up Monroe's property while looking for some of his victim's bodies, the sheriff's department decided to bury him right there at the scene of his crimes. When asked why they had done this the sheriff replied. "Monroe had no relatives to claim his body and burying him in a public cemetery would only have led the curious to vandalize and possibly dig up his grave for souvenirs. There was no way we wanted to turn the cemetery into a tourist attraction. This cabin is almost impossible to find and I highly doubt anyone will come out here to search for the grave. It was all perfectly legal"._

Dean could see a picture of a tree with men standing next to a large hole on the left side of the tree. They appeared to be lowering something into the hole, probably Monroe's body. Now at least he knew where the grave probably was but there was nothing they could do about it. Dean struggled to free himself, he had to get loose, he had to save Sam. Blood ran down his arms as the rope cut deep into his flesh. Maybe, just maybe, his wrists would get slippery enough with the blood that he'd be able to slip his hands through the rope. It was their only hope.

**A few minutes later**

Monroe suddenly appeared without warning. In his hands he held what looked to be the heart and liver from one of his victims. He proceeded to place them in jars then filled the jars with some kind of liquid to preserve them. He then placed the jars next to his other souvenirs. He then walked over and stood next to Sam.

"Get away from him you bastard!" Dean kicked out with his feet even though he knew it would do no good. Even if he could turn the spirit's attention away from Sam and onto him what good would that do? It would only prolong the inevitable….they were both going to die.

Dean watched as his brother pressed his body back into the table trying to pull himself away from Monroe, but there was no where to go. The action only seemed to excite the spirit who now smiled down at his prey as he picked up a large butcher knife. Dean could tell he enjoyed his work. His eyes filled with tears as he watched Sam clench his fists and ready himself for the agony that was about to come.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

I appreciate the reviews, thanks.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter fourteen

"Get away from him you son of a bitch!" Dean's arms were now crimson with his blood as he continued struggling to free himself. He could feel his hands start to slide a little bit through the ropes but he knew it could take minutes or longer to free himself, time they didn't have. He could see his gun lying on the floor and if only he could get to it he could at least delay the spirit enough so that he could free his brother. He watched in horror as Monroe slowly brought the knife down to the top of Sam's throat and slowly began to push it into his skin.

"Nooooooo!" Dean screamed as he pulled with all his strength trying to slip his hands through the bloody ropes, but it was no use, the ropes still held him. "Sammy!" He couldn't' believe he was about to watch is brother being butchered in front of him.

So this is how he was going to die Sam thought, and what was worse, his brother was going to have to watch him die and then die himself. Where were his powers, his strength, when he needed them he wondered? He should be able to break his bonds and toss the spirit back to wherever it came from. Why could he exorcise demons but was helpless against this spirit?

Sam felt the knife puncture his skin and could feel the spirit slowly begin to cut downward and he could hear his brother swearing and struggling to free himself. It was then he heard the gunshot and saw the spirit vanish. He looked over at Dean expecting to see him standing there holding his salt gun but Dean looked as surprised as he did. They both looked toward the door and saw Kevin standing in the shadows with a look of disbelief on his face, the gun in his hand.

"Quick cut me loose before it comes back!" Dean shouted over to Kevin. He knew the salt wouldn't kill the spirit but only make it vanish for awhile, it could be back within seconds.

Kevin didn't move, he stood there in total shock at what he had just witnessed. He always thought there were no such things as ghosts and now he was standing there having just shot one.

"Hurry!" Dean shouted.

Kevin finally snapped out of his trance and ran over to Dean. He picked a knife off the table and cut through the thick rope.

"What the hell's going on? What did he do to him?" Kevin asked as he looked down at Sam.

Dean didn't answer him, he figured he would try and explain it to Kevin later, right now he knew what he had to do. After first checking on Sam and finding out his wound wasn't life threatening he looked at Kevin.

"Cut my brother loose and if that thing comes back blast it again." Dean grabbed a shovel from the room and ran outside.

Once outside he found the back pack that Monroe had removed from him. He opened it up and took out a bottle of gasoline and a small flamethrower, he then ran over to the large tree that had been in the picture and began digging. He knew he had to find Monroe's body and destroy it or they might all die.

**Inside the cabin**

Kevin began cutting Sam loose.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Kevin asked when he saw the cut on Sam's throat.

Once Sam's hand was free he pointed to his throat and shook his head showing Kevin that he couldn't speak.

"I never thought something like this was even possible." Kevin said as he continued cutting Sam's other hand and feet free.

Just before he was done Sam saw Monroe's spirit suddenly appear behind Kevin. He grabbed the gun out of Kevin's hand and fired. He hit the spirit square in the chest and it immediately vanished.

Sam knew he had to get Kevin out of the cabin before the spirit reappeared so he motioned for Kevin to leave while he finished cutting his ankle free. Kevin wasn't about to argue with him, he had seen enough. Sam handed him the gun and he quickly left the cabin and ran over to Dean. Once Sam was free he found Dean's salt gun that had been torn from his brother's hand by Monroe's spirit. He picked it up then backed out of the cabin as he held the gun out in front of him. As he walked out of the cabin he saw his clothes lying in a heap on the floor near the door. He picked them up then once outside quickly slipped into his jeans. He then looked over to where Dean was digging as fast as he could trying to unearth Monroe's body, but the ground was hard and it was taking longer then expected. Sam then saw Monroe suddenly appear behind Dean and Kevin. He tried to shout a warning to them but nothing came out. He then tried to fire the salt gun at the apparition, but the gun was jammed, probably it had been damaged when it had hit the floor. Dean continued digging, unaware that Monroe stood directly behind him holding a large machete in his hand ready to bring it down across his neck at any moment. The only thing Sam knew to do was to run through the spirit and hope that by passing through its body he could delay it long enough for Kevin to get a shot off.

As soon as Sam passed through the spirit it flickered then vanished, but it took his strength with it. He fell to the ground totally exhausted, his skin a pale grey.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

This is the last chapter. Thanks to all who took the time to review, I really appreciate it. Hope you liked the story and that the ending doesn't suck too badly.

The Butcher of Madison County

Chapter fifteen

"Sammy?" Dean spun around and knelt by his brother, he knew what had happened; he had seen it happen before. He knew what Sam was feeling from passing through the spirit wouldn't last long. He patted his brother on his shoulder then stood up.

"What's wrong with him?" Kevin asked.

"He'll be okay." Dean looked around the area, he knew the spirit was lurking somewhere nearby. He stood protectively in front of Sam and took the gun from Kevin. "Keep digging." He told Kevin while he kept watch for Monroe.

**A short time later**

"I found something!" Kevin shouted when his shovel hit a solid object. "Damn it's a rock." He said as he flipped the object out of the hole and onto the ground.

Dean looked down at it and smiled.

"It's not a rock, it's a bone." Dean and Sam had dug up far too many graves to mistake a bone for a rock. He then saw Monroe's spirit standing off in the distance, too far to reach with the salt gun. "No matter what happens keep digging." He warned Kevin as he kept his eyes on the spirit.

Dean knew the spirit was trying to draw him away from the grave, so he stood firm. He was going to finish what they came out to do, or die trying. He had been through this many times before and he knew their only hope was to burn the bones, if the spirit stopped them from doing that they were all as good as dead. The salt gun was only a temporary means of protection and once the bullets ran out…..well once the bullets ran out Dean knew there was little they could do to protect themselves.

Sam finally began to come around and moaned slightly as he sat up.

"You okay Sam?" Dean asked as he glanced down at his brother.

Sam nodded; it was all he could do. Passing through the spirit had zapped his strength and he could barely sit up. He knew the grave digging would go much faster if two were digging but he didn't have the strength to help, but Dean could. He held out his hand for the gun, he would protect them while they dug. Dean turned the gun over to Sam then looked around till he found a tool he could use to dig with, then both he and Kevin began to dig as fast as they could, if only they could unearth most of Monroe's body it should do the trick.

Sam watched as the spirit vanished only to reappear closer but still out of range. Sam pulled himself up against a tree using it to hold him up as he kept the gun gripped firmly in his hand. Monroe knew they were trying to destroy him and he was going to stop them if he could. He suddenly vanished only to reappear next to Dean. He grabbed Dean before he could react and tossed him aside. Sam quickly fired the salt gun and the spirit once more disappeared. Sam motioned for Kevin to keep digging while he made his way over to Dean. He knelt down next to him then helped him up to a sitting position so he could catch the breath that had been knocked out of him when he landed.

"I can see most of his body!" Kevin yelled over to them.

The brothers made their way back to Kevin then Dean poured the bottle of gasoline over the remains, but before he could light the match he was once more tossed aside. The spirit now stood over him beating him relentlessly. Sam quickly grabbed the dropped matches and lit the whole pack and tossed it into the grave. Monroe suddenly stopped hitting Dean and stood up straight as flames enveloped his entire body, within a second or two he was gone. In a second it was all over with.

Sam hurried over to his brother and helped him up.

"I'm okay Sam." Dean told him when he saw the worried look on his brother's face.

"It's over?" Kevin asked as he looked around expecting to see the spirit lurking somewhere near by.

"Yeah, it's over." Dean told him as he and Sam walked back to him.

Dean then turned his attention to Sam's throat. He winced in both sympathy and worry as he examined the deep cut across his brother's throat, the anger in him building up again at the thought that he might never hear his brother's voice again.

"Do you know where my two guards are….and the missing prisoner?" Kevin asked as he looked for any sign of the men.

"I'm sorry….they're dead." Dean had seen the guards' uniforms and body parts scattered throughout the cabin plus an orange jumpsuit, he knew they had been too late to save any of them.

Kevin looked down sadly and shook his head.

"I should have listened to you…but your story was just too damn crazy."

"Believe me there are things out there that you can't even imagine." Dean said as he tried to wipe some of the blood off of Sam's throat so he could get a better look.

"Let me take a look at that." Kevin said as he gently examined the cut. "I think he'll be okay." He said a few seconds later.

"But he can't talk."

"It looks like he just nicked his vocal cords, they should heal with time." When Dean didn't seem convinced Kevin added. "I was an Army medic years ago. I've seen a lot of wounds worse then this and all it took was a little time and soon they were as good as new. But I'd still get him to a hospital and get his wound thoroughly cleaned out and stitched up." He gave Dean a small smile. "Looks like you could use a little patching up too."

Dean stuck out his hand.

"Thanks….you saved our lives."

"You're welcome, glad to be able to." Kevin took Dean's hand and shook it then shook Sam's.

"Why did you come back?" Dean asked.

"You two were my responsibility." Kevin gave Sam a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you, but I had to be tough, I have to keep the cons in line or they'll walk all over me."

Sam gave a little smile and nodded showing that there were no hard feelings.

"I need to ask you a favor." Dean said

"Sure, what?"

"Once we get back to the prison I need you to drop us both off at my car." Dean looked into Kevin's eyes as he added. "We can't go back with you."

"But how am I ever going to explain all the missing people to the warden?"

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help you ….but we need to take off… we can't hang around."

"I understand." It was obvious that these two men lived strange lives and more then likely didn't want to have to deal with the law anymore then necessary. He also knew making them return to the prison wasn't going to help anyone; they needed to be out here doing what they did best.

**Later**

Kevin kept his word and dropped Dean and Sam back at their car. How he ever explained the missing men to the warden they'd never know. Kevin had witnesses to what had happened in the camp but the brothers knew no one would believe him or them. They felt bad for him but they had no choice, they couldn't take the change that they'd be questioned by the police and their true identities discovered.

The brothers knew if they went to a hospital any suspicious wound would have to be reported to the police, so Dean took Sam to a doctor that some of the hunters trusted with keeping their injuries secret. He examined Sam and told Dean the same thing Kevin had, that Sam's throat wound was minor and would heal in a few days and that his voice would soon return. He flushed out the wound and stitched it shut then gave Sam some antibiotics to keep it from getting infected and told him not to try to speak for at least a week, after that he should be as good as new.

They spent the next week in a quiet motel and took it easy while they both healed up and Sam finally got his voice back. Then they once more headed out onto the road glad to have survived with relatively little injuries and ready to look for their next hunt.

The End


End file.
